Five Things We Learned from the Ravens' 38-35 2OT win over the Denver Broncos

Joe Flacco may never silence all his critics, but he showed why the Ravens have so much faith in him: He is a winner who elevates his play when all the chips are on the table. Joe Flacco wins all the time, but somehow, in the court of popular pigskin opinion, he may never win. Flacco has won 61 games in his first five years in the NFL, including the playoffs, which is more than any other quarterback. Early in his career, he often played a secondary role in the outcome of those games. But all those national analysts who still think it is a smothering defense and a stout running game that is carrying the Ravens to all of these wins clearly aren't paying attention. No, Joe Flacco is not a perfect quarterback. He can be maddeningly inconsistent. His accuracy is spotty at times. He sometimes gets lost in the pocket. And while I am cool with his laid-back demeanor, some perceive that as a flaw. But it blows my mind that still today, few quarterbacks are scrutinized nationally more than Flacco. His critics were silenced Saturday -- and a few more will jump on the Flacco bandwagon, about 12 months too late. Simply put, Flacco balled out against the Denver Broncos. He dropped a bomb on them in the first quarter, lofting a deep throw over the head of cornerback Champ Bailey, a future Hall of Famer, to wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 59-yard touchdown. He connected with Smith again in the second quarter on a 32-yard touchdown. And with his season -- and the career of Ray Lewis -- on the line, Flacco stunned the Broncos by launching a prayer over the head of rookie safety Rahim Moore, who took a bad angle to the ball and then mistimed his leap, into the hands of Jacoby Jones, who ran it in for a game-tying 70-yard score. Flacco completed 18 of 34 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns as the Ravens won in double overtime, 38-35. Flacco's only major mistake was fumbling a botched snap from center Matt Birk. Yes, I picked the Broncos to win this game, but I also predicted that Flacco would play well, and I have the blog posts and Tweets to show it. Flacco won me over last year with how he played in the AFC title game, which is why I didn't rip him when he played poorly at times this season (like the first time around against the Broncos). I don't know when the transformation occurred, but Flacco went from a young kid who underwhelmed in the playoffs to a grown man who elevates his play in the clutch. He couldn't care less about his individual numbers during the regular season, which is why he may never be viewed as one of those "elite" quarterbacks in the eyes of some analysts. But his postseason stats the past two years are eye-popping, and they are proof that the Ravens are winning because of Flacco and not in spite of him. In his past four playoff games, Joe Flacco has piled up 1,095 passing yards and nine touchdowns, while throwing just one interception. That's a big-boy playoff passer rating of 107.5, folks. When Jones dropped that pass on third down in the middle of the fourth quarter -- it wouldn't be a Ravens playoff game without a critical drop, would it? -- I couldn't help but think of the times that his wide-outs let him down in past years. Would Flacco be perceived differently if Anquan Boldin or T.J. Houshmandzadeh finished off plays in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers two years ago? And what about the drop by Lee Evans in last year's AFC championship game? Would Flacco have been mocked during his low points in the regular season -- one New York writer compared him to Kyle Boller in a Tweet to me back in October -- if Evans had caught that pass and Flacco had taken the Ravens to the Super Bowl? Anyway, it doesn't really matter now. Flacco once again has the Ravens in the AFC championship game. Since Flacco is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this spring, I'm obligated to say that Flacco made himself a lot of money Saturday. And maybe he did. But the reality is that he isn't going anywhere and he never was going anywhere in the first place. The Ravens would be crazy to pull the plug on Flacco after five seasons, especially without giving him a chance to step out of the shadow of Cam Cameron's ego. The Ravens aren't crazy. They know what they have in Flacco -- a strong-armed quarterback who might just be on the verge of greatness -- and the real challenge all along has been finding a price that makes Flacco happy while still allowing the Ravens to build a contending team around him. No, Flacco can't do it all alone. But when he gets a little help from his friends, like he did Saturday night, Flacco can carry this team. Will he carry them back to the Super Bowl next weekend?

Joe Flacco may never silence all his critics, but he showed why the Ravens have so much faith in him: He is a winner who elevates his play when all the chips are on the table. Joe Flacco wins all the time, but somehow, in the court of popular pigskin opinion, he may never win. Flacco has won 61 games in his first five years in the NFL, including the playoffs, which is more than any other quarterback. Early in his career, he often played a secondary role in the outcome of those games. But all those national analysts who still think it is a smothering defense and a stout running game that is carrying the Ravens to all of these wins clearly aren't paying attention. No, Joe Flacco is not a perfect quarterback. He can be maddeningly inconsistent. His accuracy is spotty at times. He sometimes gets lost in the pocket. And while I am cool with his laid-back demeanor, some perceive that as a flaw. But it blows my mind that still today, few quarterbacks are scrutinized nationally more than Flacco. His critics were silenced Saturday -- and a few more will jump on the Flacco bandwagon, about 12 months too late. Simply put, Flacco balled out against the Denver Broncos. He dropped a bomb on them in the first quarter, lofting a deep throw over the head of cornerback Champ Bailey, a future Hall of Famer, to wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 59-yard touchdown. He connected with Smith again in the second quarter on a 32-yard touchdown. And with his season -- and the career of Ray Lewis -- on the line, Flacco stunned the Broncos by launching a prayer over the head of rookie safety Rahim Moore, who took a bad angle to the ball and then mistimed his leap, into the hands of Jacoby Jones, who ran it in for a game-tying 70-yard score. Flacco completed 18 of 34 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns as the Ravens won in double overtime, 38-35. Flacco's only major mistake was fumbling a botched snap from center Matt Birk. Yes, I picked the Broncos to win this game, but I also predicted that Flacco would play well, and I have the blog posts and Tweets to show it. Flacco won me over last year with how he played in the AFC title game, which is why I didn't rip him when he played poorly at times this season (like the first time around against the Broncos). I don't know when the transformation occurred, but Flacco went from a young kid who underwhelmed in the playoffs to a grown man who elevates his play in the clutch. He couldn't care less about his individual numbers during the regular season, which is why he may never be viewed as one of those "elite" quarterbacks in the eyes of some analysts. But his postseason stats the past two years are eye-popping, and they are proof that the Ravens are winning because of Flacco and not in spite of him. In his past four playoff games, Joe Flacco has piled up 1,095 passing yards and nine touchdowns, while throwing just one interception. That's a big-boy playoff passer rating of 107.5, folks. When Jones dropped that pass on third down in the middle of the fourth quarter -- it wouldn't be a Ravens playoff game without a critical drop, would it? -- I couldn't help but think of the times that his wide-outs let him down in past years. Would Flacco be perceived differently if Anquan Boldin or T.J. Houshmandzadeh finished off plays in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers two years ago? And what about the drop by Lee Evans in last year's AFC championship game? Would Flacco have been mocked during his low points in the regular season -- one New York writer compared him to Kyle Boller in a Tweet to me back in October -- if Evans had caught that pass and Flacco had taken the Ravens to the Super Bowl? Anyway, it doesn't really matter now. Flacco once again has the Ravens in the AFC championship game. Since Flacco is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this spring, I'm obligated to say that Flacco made himself a lot of money Saturday. And maybe he did. But the reality is that he isn't going anywhere and he never was going anywhere in the first place. The Ravens would be crazy to pull the plug on Flacco after five seasons, especially without giving him a chance to step out of the shadow of Cam Cameron's ego. The Ravens aren't crazy. They know what they have in Flacco -- a strong-armed quarterback who might just be on the verge of greatness -- and the real challenge all along has been finding a price that makes Flacco happy while still allowing the Ravens to build a contending team around him. No, Flacco can't do it all alone. But when he gets a little help from his friends, like he did Saturday night, Flacco can carry this team. Will he carry them back to the Super Bowl next weekend? (Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.)

Peyton Manning is going to have nightmares about Corey Graham for a long time. It had been a long time since America got a glimpse of the Peyton Manning face. You know, the pained way that he shapes his entire face while frowning after critical mistakes, just like the one Charlie Brown used to make whenever Lucy yanked the football out from under him, knowing that he fell for the same trick again. Manning waited two long years to play in another playoff game. In between were a few procedures on his neck and a uniform change, and what Manning did this season in taking his new team, the Denver Broncos, to the playoffs was quite an accomplishment. That being said, if you would have told me six months ago that Corey Freaking Graham would have been the one to give Peyton haters the face they had long been waiting for, that he would pick Manning off twice in the playoffs, there is no way I would have believed you. Yes, even though his Ravens teammates were hyping him up all summer. Back in training camp, when Graham was picking off Ravens quarterbacks on a daily basis, I wrote a story about the Ravens secondary, which players like Lardarius Webb and Bernard Pollard boasted was the NFL's best. While interviewing four Ravens defensive backs about a talented group that included future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed and 2011 first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith, each made a point to mention Graham, the unknown cornerback and special teams ace who signed with the Ravens during the offseason. He walked away from the Chicago Bears in part because he wanted an opportunity to show that he could do more than cover kicks. And because of the injuries to Webb and Smith, the Ravens were forced to give him that opportunity. Since then, Graham has easily been the best of this bunch. Graham has started the past 10 games for the Ravens, and he picked off two passes during the regular season. He held his own in outside coverage, but he fares better in the slot, where he plays whenever opponents put more than two wide receivers on the field. That's where he played often Saturday, and both of his two interceptions of Manning came when he was covering the slot receiver. The first was after fellow cornerback Chykie Brown deflected a pass right to him, and Graham took it to the house to put the Ravens up, 14-7, in the first quarter. His second came late in the first overtime session, and it put the Ravens in position to ultimately win, 38-35, on a Justin Tucker field goal. As Manning rolled to his right, Graham blanketed slot receiver Brandon Stokely as Stokely ran an out route to his right. As the rush closed on Manning, Stokely broke off his route and cut back to the left up the field. Graham stayed in the passing lane, and he lunged to intercept a low throw by the quarterback. Cue the Manning face. Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, has endured plenty of tough playoff losses (though this was his first against the Ravens). That's what happens when you win double-digit games every season. But I suspect this one will linger for a long time, as I'm sure Manning really wanted to win this one for the Broncos, who took a leap of faith with him this past offseason. And it will be the two interceptions he tossed to Graham, particularly the last one, that will stalk his dreams until September.

Peyton Manning is going to have nightmares about Corey Graham for a long time. It had been a long time since America got a glimpse of the Peyton Manning face. You know, the pained way that he shapes his entire face while frowning after critical mistakes, just like the one Charlie Brown used to make whenever Lucy yanked the football out from under him, knowing that he fell for the same trick again. Manning waited two long years to play in another playoff game. In between were a few procedures on his neck and a uniform change, and what Manning did this season in taking his new team, the Denver Broncos, to the playoffs was quite an accomplishment. That being said, if you would have told me six months ago that Corey Freaking Graham would have been the one to give Peyton haters the face they had long been waiting for, that he would pick Manning off twice in the playoffs, there is no way I would have believed you. Yes, even though his Ravens teammates were hyping him up all summer. Back in training camp, when Graham was picking off Ravens quarterbacks on a daily basis, I wrote a story about the Ravens secondary, which players like Lardarius Webb and Bernard Pollard boasted was the NFL's best. While interviewing four Ravens defensive backs about a talented group that included future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed and 2011 first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith, each made a point to mention Graham, the unknown cornerback and special teams ace who signed with the Ravens during the offseason. He walked away from the Chicago Bears in part because he wanted an opportunity to show that he could do more than cover kicks. And because of the injuries to Webb and Smith, the Ravens were forced to give him that opportunity. Since then, Graham has easily been the best of this bunch. Graham has started the past 10 games for the Ravens, and he picked off two passes during the regular season. He held his own in outside coverage, but he fares better in the slot, where he plays whenever opponents put more than two wide receivers on the field. That's where he played often Saturday, and both of his two interceptions of Manning came when he was covering the slot receiver. The first was after fellow cornerback Chykie Brown deflected a pass right to him, and Graham took it to the house to put the Ravens up, 14-7, in the first quarter. His second came late in the first overtime session, and it put the Ravens in position to ultimately win, 38-35, on a Justin Tucker field goal. As Manning rolled to his right, Graham blanketed slot receiver Brandon Stokely as Stokely ran an out route to his right. As the rush closed on Manning, Stokely broke off his route and cut back to the left up the field. Graham stayed in the passing lane, and he lunged to intercept a low throw by the quarterback. Cue the Manning face. Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, has endured plenty of tough playoff losses (though this was his first against the Ravens). That's what happens when you win double-digit games every season. But I suspect this one will linger for a long time, as I'm sure Manning really wanted to win this one for the Broncos, who took a leap of faith with him this past offseason. And it will be the two interceptions he tossed to Graham, particularly the last one, that will stalk his dreams until September. (Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.)